Known roof apparatuses are disclosed, for example, in JP2011-194920A which will be hereinafter referred to as Reference 1 and in JP4109583B which will be hereinafter referred to as Reference 2. Each of the roof apparatuses disclosed in References 1 and 2 includes a movable panel that is configured to open and close an opening formed at a roof of a vehicle such as an automobile, for example. The movable panel is mounted to perform a tilt-up operation in which a rear portion of the movable panel is lifted up with reference to a front portion thereof and a slide operation in which the movable panel slides in a front-rear direction of the vehicle. The aforementioned sunroof apparatus is a so-called outer sliding sunroof so that the movable panel slides (performs the slide operation) while being maintained to be tilted-up (i.e., in a tilt-up state) during an opening and closing operation of the movable panel for opening and closing the opening.
According to the roof apparatus disclosed in Reference 1, a pair of guide rails is provided at respective edge portions of the opening to face each other in a vehicle width direction. The movable panel is configured to perform the aforementioned opening and closing operation in a state where front ends of a pair of support brackets which are attached to respective edge portions of the movable panel in the vehicle width direction are rotatably and slidably supported at the guide rails.
In addition, end portions of a deflector that is disposed at a front end portion of the opening, the end portions facing in the vehicle width direction, are rotatably supported at the guide rails. The deflector is tilted up in a state to be released from the movable panel in association with an opening operation of the movable panel so as to protrude upward relative to an upper surface of the roof in a height direction of the vehicle. That is, the deflector is brought to a deployed state. in addition, the deflector is retracted downward relative to the upper surface of the roof in the height direction of the vehicle in a state to be pressed by the movable panel in association with a closing operation of the movable panel. That is, the deflector is brought to a retracted state. The deflector is brought to the deployed state when the opening is opened to thereby inhibit air vibration caused by wind intrusion to an interior of the vehicle.
In the roof apparatus, the deflector is disposed and supported at a portion at an inner side of the guide rails in the vehicle width direction, Therefore, the deflector allows wind intrusion to portions at an outer side of the guide rails in the vehicle width direction relative to the deflector. In a fully open state of the movable panel, for example, wind intrusion to a gap formed among each of the guide rails, each of the support brackets, and the movable panel may result in wind noise.
In addition, according to the roof apparatus disclosed in Reference 2, a pair of side frames including a pair of guide rails is provided at respective edge portions of the opening to face each other in the vehicle width direction. The movable panel is configured to perform the opening and closing operation in a state where a pair of support brackets provided at respective edge portions of the movable panel in the vehicle width direction is guided and supported relative to the pair of guide rails via sliders.
In addition, front edges of the side frames are connected to each other via a front frame that extends in the vehicle width direction. Drain grooves are formed at the side frames and the front frames respectively. A front end portion of each of the guide rails protrudes in a front direction of the vehicle relative to the drain groove formed at the front frame so that the drain groove at the front frame extends by passing at a lower side of each of the guide rails to be connected to the respective drain grooves formed at the side frames. Accordingly, water flowing through the drain groove at the front frame is discharged to the outside by passing at the lower side of each of the guide rails.
In the roof apparatus disclosed in Reference 2, the guide rails are positioned at the upper side of the drain groove at the front frame. Thus, a portion of water falling from a front end portion of the movable panel may enter the guide rails to thereby cause functional members (the sliders, for example) disposed within the guide rails.
A need thus exists for a roof apparatus which is not susceptible to the drawback mentioned above.